Short Interest in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Drops By 5.3%

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 21,750,000 shares, a drop of 5.3% from the August 31st total of 22,960,000 shares. Currently, 1.2% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 10,770,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other news, Director Calvin Mcdonald purchased 11,756 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $85.06 per share, for a total transaction of $999,965.36. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 22,313 shares in the company, valued at $1,897,943.78. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DIS. Jacobs & Co. CA increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 115,921 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $11,150,000 after purchasing an additional 5,604 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 291.9% during the 2nd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 200,240 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $19,882,000 after purchasing an additional 149,140 shares during the last quarter. Clifford Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 21.3% during the 2nd quarter. Clifford Capital Partners LLC now owns 165,534 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $16,436,000 after purchasing an additional 29,044 shares during the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $399,000. Finally, Heritage Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $269,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on DIS. Seaport Res Ptn raised Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Loop Capital cut their target price on Walt Disney from $139.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Bank of America cut their target price on Walt Disney from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.43.

Walt Disney Trading Down 2.2 %

NYSE DIS opened at $94.05 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $171.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.23, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $90.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.72. Walt Disney has a 52 week low of $78.73 and a 52 week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $23.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.08 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.64% and a net margin of 5.30%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 4.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Walt Disney

The Walt Disney Company operates as an entertainment company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. The company produces and distributes film and television video streaming content under the ABC Television Network, Disney, Freeform, FX, Fox, National Geographic, and Star brand television channels, as well as ABC television stations and A+E television networks; and produces original content under the ABC Signature, Disney Branded Television, FX Productions, Lucasfilm, Marvel, National Geographic Studios, Pixar, Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Studios, 20th Television, and Walt Disney Pictures banners.